EXCLUSIVE: NBA Foundation executive director Greg Taylor told Mirror Sport about the charity, its work and how it will continue to train Black youth in the US amid the UK’s Black History Month
The NBA Foundation is a historic and monumental charitable initiative founded by the league to empower young Black men and women through player-led policies.
Back in August 2020, the league launched the first-ever NBA Foundation amid societal tension following the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. The charity is dedicated to creating employment and career advancement opportunities for Black communities around the NBA’s 28 markets – and it was awarded a $300 million fund to be used over the next decade.
Two years on, the NBA Foundation has invested more than $53m into a number of non-profit organisations that each aim to help train and develop Black youths across the United States and Canada. In total, approximately 136 grantees and 70,000 young people have benefitted from the initiative so far.
The NBA Foundation’s board is a diverse showcase of the support the scheme has across the league, with Sacramento Kings forward Harrison Barnes, Philadelphia 76ers star Tobias Harris and basketball legend Michael Jordan all involved. As Executive Director of the NBA Foundation, Greg Taylor is ultimately responsible for the creation and implementation of programs to aid communities across the US and Canada.